*** The Car Cleaning Thread ***

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redeye_uk said:
I'm assuming you're referring to 2nd hand.

Personally I do the following....

1. Snow Foam (be warned you'll need lance and pressure washer)
2. Wash with Shampoo and MF Sponge (2 bucket method)
3. Dry
4. Clay
5. re-wash
6. Hand Polish using light cutting pad (one off/annual)
7. Glaze using this for light coloured cars or this for dark using suitable applicator pad
8. Wax with foam applicator

As for your alloys

1. Bilberry wheel cleaner
2. Clay/tar remover to get rid of stubborn brake dust
3. Metal polish
4. Sealant

I do this every 4 months or so and in between just foam-wash-dry-clean alloys

I've linked to products I use on my car, but other people will have preferences for different products. It's about experimenting and finding what works best for you.

Any questions....
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Why would you re-wash it after claying :confused: ?
Personally I think that unless you are machine polishing, claying also isn't that essential. I used the AIO Autoglym SRP, while half my bonnet was clayed and half wasn't, both halves showed the same result, the swirls practically disappeared after 3 layers of hand applying SRP with meg's foam app pads and buffing off with MF cloth, clayed or not clayed.
 
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snowdog said:
Why would you re-wash it after claying :confused: ?
Personally I think that unless you are machine polishing, claying also isn't that essential. I used the AIO Autoglym SRP, while half my bonnet was clayed and half wasn't, both halves showed the same result, the swirls practically disappeared after 3 layers of hand applying SRP with meg's foam app pads and buffing off with MF cloth, clayed or not clayed.
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Good question. I rewash after claying to get rid of any lubricant and/or loosened crud as a result of claying. It also ensures the paint is ready for the glaze and wax and that I wont be trapping in water marks, traffic film, tar etc...

I appreciate you might think it's OTT but its my car and nothing annoys me more than water marks you cant remove because they're 'trapped' under the wax :)
 
I bought some tyre dressing stuff and I can't believe the difference it makes to the overall look of the car once it has been washed. The pictures in my post above are without it, and they look dull, with the dressing stuff they look amazing :)
 
So what would you guys recommend for getting a faded yellow 2003 Leon Cupra back up to a better standard?

Never done this sort of thing before, just the standard wax and polish etc.
 
My damn Porter Cable died at the weekend - second one to have done so.

Whats the standard retard proof machine polisher these days?
 
snowdog said:
Why would you re-wash it after claying :confused: ?
Personally I think that unless you are machine polishing, claying also isn't that essential. I used the AIO Autoglym SRP, while half my bonnet was clayed and half wasn't, both halves showed the same result, the swirls practically disappeared after 3 layers of hand applying SRP with meg's foam app pads and buffing off with MF cloth, clayed or not clayed.
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You clay because the kind of contaminants removed by claying will not be removed by polishing - instead they tend to ruin pads, and make things difficult. The bits that are removed by polishing are getting dragged across your paintwork during the polishing process.
 
Got my PTG today, and I'm amazed at how thin the paint is on the ST. Going as low as 85 in some places. Very rarely reading over 100, generally averaging around 95.

inside of the door reads 40-50 though, so it would seem there is still plenty to play with (if those who claim the insides of the door can be considered a lacquer free reading are to be believed), but I think after the next time I go over with the buffer, I shall have to be extra careful when washing etc.

I went for the TG-902 in the end and I'm quite impressed with it. Readings (when read in the same location) seem reasonably consistent (more so than the +/- 10% accuracy rating suggests) and its a doddle to zero and calibrate.

I'm sure this will make Fett and Fox very happy :P
 
Bit of a random one here, I'll be nipping out later to top up on shampoos and whatnot. I was contemplating trying out a spot of claying and waxing but I can't find a clay kit for under £20, is there any cheaper brands to look for? I see Blue Magic on Google but Halfrauds and my local auto store don't stock it?

:)
 
Does anyone have any recommendations for polishing chrome ? ...specifically chrome that seems to have lost some of it's 'new' lustre ? ...Basically I want to make it look new again.
 
Moeks said:
Does anyone have any recommendations for polishing chrome ? ...specifically chrome that seems to have lost some of it's 'new' lustre ? ...Basically I want to make it look new again.
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Autosol and a dirty old rag - combined with some elbow greese.

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shifty_uk said:
Bit of a random one here, I'll be nipping out later to top up on shampoos and whatnot. I was contemplating trying out a spot of claying and waxing but I can't find a clay kit for under £20, is there any cheaper brands to look for? I see Blue Magic on Google but Halfrauds and my local auto store don't stock it?

:)
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The quick clay kit can be had for £15. You wont find anything cheaper....
 
redeye_uk said:
Nice. What did you get?
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I bought from halfrauds

Buckets x 2.
lots of foam applicators for applying polish/wax
lots of microfibres cloths for buffing
a microfibre drying cloth
AutoGlym conditioning shampoo 1L
TurtleWax black colour magic scratch remover
AutoGlym Super Resin Polish 500ml
Autoglym Extra Gloss Protection. 500ml

And now my arms ache sooo much, and i'm very very tired. Guess that means I did it properly. I now have a very nice shiny car that should stay clean and shiny for a while.

Black paint shows up so many scratches and stonechips though :(

Still, it's one sexy colour :D
 
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